Russian man pens song for Beijing Winter Olympics

"I am flying to a land distant and fertile. Fantastic China is covered with white snow. Behind the Great Wall, my destination appears. Beijing is waiting for the Olympic athletes..."

The line comes from the Russian song "Beijing" themed on the 2022 Winter Olympics. Its lyricist is an elderly Russian, Vladimir Vorobyov, who does not know Chinese and has never been to China.

The song was officially released recently at an event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Russia to promote the upcoming Games, and Vorobyov caught the attention of the media.

Vorobyov, 64, is a retired military doctor who became absorbed in poetry after retirement.

This August, Vorobyov felt inspired to write a song about the Beijing Winter Olympics.

"The Olympics is a worldwide event. I saw in the news that China has put in a lot of effort to build Olympic facilities and prepare for the Winter Olympics. I wanted to create a lyrically melodic, solemn and inspiring Olympic song for the organizers of the Games, the athletes, and all sports fans," Vorobyov explained.

Creating such a song, however, was not an easy task. Vorobyov made no progress in the month after the idea struck him.

"I'd never been to China, never been to Beijing, and I was looking for something to inspire me."

Nonetheless, the gods of inspiration favored him.

After watching many online videos about China and Beijing, Vorobyov dreamed that he was in China one night.

"I woke up to a wonderful feeling as if I had just returned from a trip to China. Early next morning, the lyrics and melody for 'Beijing' were there. And by the evening, I was already humming the song." Looking back on his songwriting experience, Vorobyov still feels terrific.

Vorobyov is not a professional songwriter. Born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, Vorobyov enrolled in one of former Soviet Union's leading military medical academies in 1974 and graduated as a military doctor.

"Wait until the Beijing Winter Olympics next February, just in time for my 65th birthday," Vorobyov said. "I hope the song will be performed at the cultural events, and I would be thrilled to have Chinese friends perform it!"

But what makes Vorobyov gush, even more, is his fascination with China. He said he would like to come to Shanghai if he had any chance.

Vorobyov's city, St Petersburg, and Shanghai are sister cities.

According to Vorobyov, he is planning to write a musical about Shanghai, with the plot centered on a young Russian who visits the city and falls in love with a Chinese girl. The musical will have about 20 songs and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022. He is keen to collaborate with Chinese musicians and has the musical premiere in Shanghai and St Petersburg.